Compiled by SEMA Editors

Ken Block

Toyo Tires Partners With Ken Block and Hoonigan Racing Division

Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. has announced a multi-year partnership with rally driver Ken Block and the Hoonigan Racing Division. Block debuts his all-new Ford Fiesta ST RX43 equipped with Toyo Proxes R1R extreme performance tires in Gymkhana EIGHT. Part of the Gymkhana series of videos, Gymkhana EIGHT debuts on the Ford YouTube channel February 29. To help introduce the new relationship to the automotive world, as well as debut Block’s all-new Ford Fiesta ST RX43 Gymkhana EIGHT livery, Toyo Tires has partnered with Hoonigan to produce and present Block’s livery reveal video. For Gymkhana EIGHT, Block and his team have created a directionally reflective, black-on-black livery that changes looks depending on the angle at which it’s viewed and how the light is hitting it. The video serves to give fans their first official glimpse of Block’s Fiesta in Gymkhana EIGHT trim and how it changes looks in the light, but also their first official look of Block’s car equipped with Toyo tires. 

VP Racing Fuels Named Official Fuel of Ultimate Battle of the Bluegrass Series

Series officials have announced VP Racing Fuels will be the Official Fuel of the ULTIMATE Battle of the Bluegrass (BoB) Series beginning in 2016. As part of a multi-year agreement, VP will be the preferred fuel for Ultimate BoB racers and will benefit from substantial brand exposure at race venues and on the series’ digital and social media platforms.

Formula DRIFT Renews Relationship With Evergreen Speedway

Formula DRIFT presented by Blackvue has renewed their relationship with Evergreen Speedway for three years extending into 2018. Since 2005, the venue has hosted the series in the Pacific Northwest. In 2005, Formula DRIFT began the relationship with Evergreen Speedway. This year marks the 11th consecutive season for the series to return to the venue, which is the third-longest-running relationship for the series with a track only followed by Irwindale Speedway and Road Atlanta. Formula DRIFT returns to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, August 5–6, 2016, for Round 6, Throwdown. The 2016 Formula DRIFT Championship begins April 9–10 in Long Beach, California.

Vision Wheel, Off-Road Racing Legend Rob MacCachren Announce Partnership

Vision Wheel has announced a partnership with American off-road racing legend Rob MacCachren that will make Vision’s bead-lock race wheels a component of MacCachren’s desert and short-course racing trucks. In early 2015, Vision Wheel expanded its presence in the off-road racing market by announcing a partnership with SCORE International. With nearly 300 victories, MacCachren is the winningest driver in off-road racing history. He has raced and won in SCORE, BITD and SNORE—the three premier desert racing series—and The Off Road Championship (TORC) and Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) short-course racing series. He has been selected four times to the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) Auto Racing All-America team and has been inducted into the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame.

MSI Finalizes Ownership of TORC

Mountain Sports International Inc. (MSI) has acquired full ownership of TORC: The Off Road Racing Championship presented by Amsoil.

Mountain Sports International Inc. (MSI) has acquired full ownership of TORC: The Off Road Racing Championship presented by Amsoil. Along with the ownership announcement, an updated schedule for the 2016 TORC series has also been released featuring seven stops. TORC will function as an independent business unit known as MSI-TORC. Primarily during the 2016 season, MSI will focus on meeting the needs of drivers, fans, tracks and sponsors to create better relationships with each stakeholder. In conjunction with MSI Live, MSI will also focus on improving media broadcast exposure through quality storytelling and live content distribution.

TORC 2016 Season Schedule:

May 27–28: Dallas/Fort Worth
June 10–11: Chicago
June 25–26: Crandon, Wisconsin (Crandon International Off-Road Raceway)
July 16–17: Elk River, Minnesota (ERX Motor Park)
July 30–31: Bark River, Michigan (Bark River International Raceway)
August 19–20: Charlotte, North Carolina
September 2–4: Crandon, Wisconsin (Crandon International Off-Road Raceway)

The NMRA is kicking off the 2016 NMRA Keystone Automotive All-Ford Drag Racing Series season at Bradenton Motorsports Park, March 3–6.

NMRA to Kick Off 2016 Season in Bradenton

The NMRA is kicking off the 2016 NMRA Keystone Automotive All-Ford Drag Racing Series season at Bradenton Motorsports Park, March 3–6. The 22nd Annual NMRA Nitto Tire Spring Break Shootout presented by Muscle Mustangs & Fast Ford magazine will feature the World’s Fastest Fords. Joining the NMRA regulars is an assortment of special events, including the Watson Racing Cobra Jet Shootout, VMP Performance Terminator/GT500 Shootout, Fluid Turbo Concepts Turbo Coyote Shootout, TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout and the Livernois Motorsports EcoBoost Battle. Saturday will feature a meet and greet with Chris “Boosted GT” Hamilton from Discovery Channel’s hit show “Street Outlaws,” and Mike Murillo, 14-time NMRA champion and host of MavTV’s “House of Grudge.” The action all comes to a close Sunday afternoon as winners celebrate in the Aerospace Components Winners Circle.

QA1 to Sponsor Autocross at Street Machine Nationals

QA1 will sponsor the Autocross feature event of the 2016 O’Reilly Auto Parts Street Machine Nationals. The annual horsepower holiday returns to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, July 15–17, 2016, attracting more than 7,000 high-performance musclecars, pro-touring cars and street machines from across the country and more than 50,000 spectators. QA1 also will host its fifth-annual Open House and Cruise leading up to the kickoff of the Street Machine Nationals, Friday, July 15, from 7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.

By AJ Carney

SEMA invites industry professionals to its Town Hall Meeting in Miami (information and registration) where members and prospective members will gather at National Performance Warehouse, Wednesday, March 9, from 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m., for an evening of networking with local industry leaders and the SEMA team.

SEMA's Town Hall Meetings provide both members and prospective members with the opportunity to learn about the association’s current programs and objectives while networking with other automotive aftermarket professionals from the same geographic region.

SEMA's Town Hall Meetings provide both members and prospective members with the opportunity to learn about the association’s current programs and objectives while networking with other automotive aftermarket professionals from the same geographic region. These personal interactions give members a chance to share the business challenges and opportunities they face. As SEMA staff interacts with attendees, they also gain valuable feedback, which helps identify how current benefits can enhance members’ business operations to better meet their needs.

SEMA has led Town Hall Meetings in several cities across the United States. We invite you to attend a Town Hall near you.

For more information or to register, visit SEMA's Town Hall Meetings website or contact Andrea “AJ” Carney at 909-978-6697 or andreac@sema.org.

By AJ Carney

SEMA invites industry professionals to its Town Hall Meeting in Miami (information and registration) where members and prospective members will gather at National Performance Warehouse, Wednesday, March 9, from 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m., for an evening of networking with local industry leaders and the SEMA team.

SEMA's Town Hall Meetings provide both members and prospective members with the opportunity to learn about the association’s current programs and objectives while networking with other automotive aftermarket professionals from the same geographic region.

SEMA's Town Hall Meetings provide both members and prospective members with the opportunity to learn about the association’s current programs and objectives while networking with other automotive aftermarket professionals from the same geographic region. These personal interactions give members a chance to share the business challenges and opportunities they face. As SEMA staff interacts with attendees, they also gain valuable feedback, which helps identify how current benefits can enhance members’ business operations to better meet their needs.

SEMA has led Town Hall Meetings in several cities across the United States. We invite you to attend a Town Hall near you.

For more information or to register, visit SEMA's Town Hall Meetings website or contact Andrea “AJ” Carney at 909-978-6697 or andreac@sema.org.

By SEMA Editors

Nominate yourself or another exceptional SEMA-member employee for select committee positions on SEMA’s Councils and Networks.

Nominations are now being accepted for select committee positions on SEMA’s Councils and Networks.

Are you facing a business challenge that is bigger than your own company? See an opportunity for change and growth in the market? Have an idea but need some industry muscle to make it happen? If so, it may be time for you to volunteer and make your voice heard.

The elected select committee of each council and network serves as the volunteer leadership for the group. Because these elected volunteers are in tune with their market and have the drive needed to influence change, they are entrusted to direct SEMA resources toward building solutions, benefits and opportunities that help companies succeed and prosper. Currently, there are 10 council and network groups within SEMA. Councils work to identify related business goals, issues and challenges for member companies in a particular market segment, while the professional networks are a platform for individuals within a company who share a common interest or characteristic.

Nominate yourself or another exceptional SEMA-member employee today by using the quick and easy online nomination form. All nominations must be received by 5:00 p.m. (PDT), March 21, 2016. The select committee elections will take place in May.

For more information about SEMA's councils and networks or the nomination and election process, contact Katie Carson.

By SEMA Editors

Nominate yourself or another exceptional SEMA-member employee for select committee positions on SEMA’s Councils and Networks.

Nominations are now being accepted for select committee positions on SEMA’s Councils and Networks.

Are you facing a business challenge that is bigger than your own company? See an opportunity for change and growth in the market? Have an idea but need some industry muscle to make it happen? If so, it may be time for you to volunteer and make your voice heard.

The elected select committee of each council and network serves as the volunteer leadership for the group. Because these elected volunteers are in tune with their market and have the drive needed to influence change, they are entrusted to direct SEMA resources toward building solutions, benefits and opportunities that help companies succeed and prosper. Currently, there are 10 council and network groups within SEMA. Councils work to identify related business goals, issues and challenges for member companies in a particular market segment, while the professional networks are a platform for individuals within a company who share a common interest or characteristic.

Nominate yourself or another exceptional SEMA-member employee today by using the quick and easy online nomination form. All nominations must be received by 5:00 p.m. (PDT), March 21, 2016. The select committee elections will take place in May.

For more information about SEMA's councils and networks or the nomination and election process, contact Katie Carson.

By SEMA Editors

Nominate yourself or another exceptional SEMA-member employee for select committee positions on SEMA’s Councils and Networks.

Nominations are now being accepted for select committee positions on SEMA’s Councils and Networks.

Are you facing a business challenge that is bigger than your own company? See an opportunity for change and growth in the market? Have an idea but need some industry muscle to make it happen? If so, it may be time for you to volunteer and make your voice heard.

The elected select committee of each council and network serves as the volunteer leadership for the group. Because these elected volunteers are in tune with their market and have the drive needed to influence change, they are entrusted to direct SEMA resources toward building solutions, benefits and opportunities that help companies succeed and prosper. Currently, there are 10 council and network groups within SEMA. Councils work to identify related business goals, issues and challenges for member companies in a particular market segment, while the professional networks are a platform for individuals within a company who share a common interest or characteristic.

Nominate yourself or another exceptional SEMA-member employee today by using the quick and easy online nomination form. All nominations must be received by 5:00 p.m. (PDT), March 21, 2016. The select committee elections will take place in May.

For more information about SEMA's councils and networks or the nomination and election process, contact Katie Carson.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Melanie White of Hellwig Products and Dan Kahn of Kahn Media.

Hellwig Products Taps Kahn Media as Agency of Record

Hellwig Products has named Kahn Media as its agency of record. Kahn Media will spearhead public relations, digital and content marketing, branding and design for Hellwig, as the brand celebrates its 70th anniversary and rolls out dozens of new products for the latest musclecars, light trucks, UTVs, military vehicles and more. Kahn Media will assist Hellwig Products with a variety of initiatives, from public/media relations and product placement to digital marketing (social media management, forum outreach, search engine marketing), advertising, branding, videography and more.

Evans Cooling Systems Hires Industry Veteran Andy Barbieri as Sales Director

Evans Cooling Systems Inc. has announced that Andy Barbieri has joined its executive team as sales director. He reports directly to Mike Tourville, marketing director of Evans Cooling, who made the announcement. Barbieri comes to Evans Cooling from Derive Systems with more than 30 years of experience, including several high-level sales-management positions in the automotive aftermarket industry.

Coker Tire President’s Restored GTO Judge to Appear on “American Restoration”

When COO and President of Coker Tire Wade Kawasaki returned from a Hawaiian vacation, he brought with him a ’70 Pontiac GTO Judge in good shape with only 44,000 miles on the odometer, but in need of a cosmetic restoration. Kawasaki saw this as the perfect opportunity to work with car builder Bodie Stroud, proprietor of Bodie Stroud Industries and star of the revamped History series “American Restoration.” The project was filmed for the show and will be featured on the episode, “Here Comes the Judge,” airing Friday, February 26, at 9:00 p.m./8:00 p.m. (CST). The GTO restoration, which was on display at the 2015 SEMA Show, was completed with products provided by National Parts Depot, Classic Tube, Original Parts Group, Parts Unlimited Interiors, PPG Paint and Trim Parts.

Hemmings Media Workshop and Stetson Hats Team Up on Epic Roadtrip Project

The latest venture from Hemmings Motor News, a content studio badged Hemmings Media Workshop (HMW), has teamed up with Stetson Hats to produce the brand’s 2015 Fall lookbook concept—a California roadtrip, complete with classic musclecars, cowboy hats and a Western ghost town called Bandit Town. The roadtrip, running across Northern California to the Sierra Foothills, was the backdrop for Stetson’s Fall 2015 lifestyle product photoshoot and ad campaign. Hemmings Media Workshop turned to Terry McGean, editor of Hemmings Muscle Machines, for a list of quintessential musclecars and classic pickups to be used as the figurative and literal vehicles for photographer Ken Nagahara’s imagery. Jen McMillan, owner and mayor of Bandit Town in the old logging town of North Fork, California, was tapped for the roadtrip’s destination. HMW produced the photoshoot, created a sponsored content feature around the project and built a social media campaign to support it. The Road To Bandit Town is one of Hemmings’ most successful digital projects and a showcase for Hemmings Media Workshop.

Thrush Kicks Off 50th Anniversary With New Muffler, Website

The Thrush brand kicked off a celebratory 50th anniversary year with the launch of a new Thrush Rattler muffler and new Thrush Exhaust website.

Known for “Making Hot Rods Hotter Since 1966,” the Thrush brand will launch a completely new muffler series – dubbed the Thrush Rattler ­– that delivers a very aggressive sound through its single-chambered design and exemplifies the “This Bird is Loud and Proud” tagline. Finished in an attractive high-temp black finish, the Thrush Rattler muffler is a 100-percent welded aluminized steel constructed design available in 18-inch overall length (choice of 2.25-in., 2.5-in., 3-in. or 4-in. inlets and outlets).

In the late 60s, the Thrush brand was popular among the muscle car owners and drag racers, and the Glasspack muffler was found on thousands of Mustangs, GTOs, Chevelles, Corvairs and more.

Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA eNews. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.

By Amanda Gubbins

Specialty-equipment manufacturers received early, hands-on access to the all-new ’17 Honda Ridgeline during this week’s measuring session at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California.

As part of SEMA’s initiative to ease the product-development process for members, the SEMA Garage provides early access to new vehicles, giving companies a jump on collecting the vehicle data needed for designing and developing products. It’s also a chance for manufacturers to have some face time with OEM representatives.

Honda hopes that excitement within the aftermarket community will help build momentum during the launch of the second-generation Ridgeline. Honda team members were on site at the Garage to assist upwards of 50 SEMA-member companies with technical questions and product disassembly for measuring. While Honda has partnered with SEMA for many measuring sessions over the years, this one was earlier than most—just six weeks after the Ridgeline’s global reveal in Detroit—and broke attendance records for a Honda product.

“The measuring session itself is a great opportunity not only for SEMA membership to gauge what’s going to go on with the Ridgeline but for us to gauge what SEMA membership would like to do with the Ridgeline,” said Chris Martin, Honda’s western regional public relations manager.

The public’s first glimpse at the styling of the second-generation Ridgeline was at the 2015 SEMA Show, where the company unveiled a Baja race truck concept—a choice that nodded at Honda’s core racing business. The ’17 Ridgeline will hit dealerships this spring, and SEMA Show attendees can expect to see more of the pickup in Honda’s booth at the 2016 Show as well, said Martin.

Honda continues to tout the in-bed trunk and dual-action tailgate that consumers are familiar with from the first-generation Ridgeline. The ’17 model has a more refined interior and new torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system. It also offers an in-bed speaker system compatible with Bluetooth. Session attendees represented customization opportunities for all these features, in addition to manufacturing performance parts for under the hood, suspension, wheels and electronics.

Michael Nazareno, K&N’s air filter applications product coordinator, was on hand to measure the pickup’s filters. The company’s goal when attending measuring sessions is to see if any of their current applications are compatible with the new vehicles or if new products need to be developed. This information ultimately helps them to have applications available as soon as new vehicles hit the market.

“When SEMA brings the cars for everybody to check and get our hands on, we can do whatever we need to. Most of the time they have the engineers here, too. If we have any questions we always go straight to them and they can help us out,” said Nazareno.

SEMA’s measuring session program has seen significant growth over the last couple of years, and the Garage is on track to host more vehicles this year than ever before, serving a wide range of members, according to Senior Director of OEM Relations Jim Moore. Two more vehicles will be at the Garage next week: the ’17 Audi R8 V10, Tuesday, March 1, and the ’16 Ford Focus RS, Wednesday–Thursday, March 2–3. Measuring sessions are available to SEMA-member manufacturers at no charge. Learn more and register online. 

By Amanda Gubbins

Specialty-equipment manufacturers received early, hands-on access to the all-new ’17 Honda Ridgeline during this week’s measuring session at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California.

As part of SEMA’s initiative to ease the product-development process for members, the SEMA Garage provides early access to new vehicles, giving companies a jump on collecting the vehicle data needed for designing and developing products. It’s also a chance for manufacturers to have some face time with OEM representatives.

Honda hopes that excitement within the aftermarket community will help build momentum during the launch of the second-generation Ridgeline. Honda team members were on site at the Garage to assist upwards of 50 SEMA-member companies with technical questions and product disassembly for measuring. While Honda has partnered with SEMA for many measuring sessions over the years, this one was earlier than most—just six weeks after the Ridgeline’s global reveal in Detroit—and broke attendance records for a Honda product.

“The measuring session itself is a great opportunity not only for SEMA membership to gauge what’s going to go on with the Ridgeline but for us to gauge what SEMA membership would like to do with the Ridgeline,” said Chris Martin, Honda’s western regional public relations manager.

The public’s first glimpse at the styling of the second-generation Ridgeline was at the 2015 SEMA Show, where the company unveiled a Baja race truck concept—a choice that nodded at Honda’s core racing business. The ’17 Ridgeline will hit dealerships this spring, and SEMA Show attendees can expect to see more of the pickup in Honda’s booth at the 2016 Show as well, said Martin.

Honda continues to tout the in-bed trunk and dual-action tailgate that consumers are familiar with from the first-generation Ridgeline. The ’17 model has a more refined interior and new torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system. It also offers an in-bed speaker system compatible with Bluetooth. Session attendees represented customization opportunities for all these features, in addition to manufacturing performance parts for under the hood, suspension, wheels and electronics.

Michael Nazareno, K&N’s air filter applications product coordinator, was on hand to measure the pickup’s filters. The company’s goal when attending measuring sessions is to see if any of their current applications are compatible with the new vehicles or if new products need to be developed. This information ultimately helps them to have applications available as soon as new vehicles hit the market.

“When SEMA brings the cars for everybody to check and get our hands on, we can do whatever we need to. Most of the time they have the engineers here, too. If we have any questions we always go straight to them and they can help us out,” said Nazareno.

SEMA’s measuring session program has seen significant growth over the last couple of years, and the Garage is on track to host more vehicles this year than ever before, serving a wide range of members, according to Senior Director of OEM Relations Jim Moore. Two more vehicles will be at the Garage next week: the ’17 Audi R8 V10, Tuesday, March 1, and the ’16 Ford Focus RS, Wednesday–Thursday, March 2–3. Measuring sessions are available to SEMA-member manufacturers at no charge. Learn more and register online. 

By Amanda Gubbins

Specialty-equipment manufacturers received early, hands-on access to the all-new ’17 Honda Ridgeline during this week’s measuring session at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California.

As part of SEMA’s initiative to ease the product-development process for members, the SEMA Garage provides early access to new vehicles, giving companies a jump on collecting the vehicle data needed for designing and developing products. It’s also a chance for manufacturers to have some face time with OEM representatives.

Honda hopes that excitement within the aftermarket community will help build momentum during the launch of the second-generation Ridgeline. Honda team members were on site at the Garage to assist upwards of 50 SEMA-member companies with technical questions and product disassembly for measuring. While Honda has partnered with SEMA for many measuring sessions over the years, this one was earlier than most—just six weeks after the Ridgeline’s global reveal in Detroit—and broke attendance records for a Honda product.

“The measuring session itself is a great opportunity not only for SEMA membership to gauge what’s going to go on with the Ridgeline but for us to gauge what SEMA membership would like to do with the Ridgeline,” said Chris Martin, Honda’s western regional public relations manager.

The public’s first glimpse at the styling of the second-generation Ridgeline was at the 2015 SEMA Show, where the company unveiled a Baja race truck concept—a choice that nodded at Honda’s core racing business. The ’17 Ridgeline will hit dealerships this spring, and SEMA Show attendees can expect to see more of the pickup in Honda’s booth at the 2016 Show as well, said Martin.

Honda continues to tout the in-bed trunk and dual-action tailgate that consumers are familiar with from the first-generation Ridgeline. The ’17 model has a more refined interior and new torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system. It also offers an in-bed speaker system compatible with Bluetooth. Session attendees represented customization opportunities for all these features, in addition to manufacturing performance parts for under the hood, suspension, wheels and electronics.

Michael Nazareno, K&N’s air filter applications product coordinator, was on hand to measure the pickup’s filters. The company’s goal when attending measuring sessions is to see if any of their current applications are compatible with the new vehicles or if new products need to be developed. This information ultimately helps them to have applications available as soon as new vehicles hit the market.

“When SEMA brings the cars for everybody to check and get our hands on, we can do whatever we need to. Most of the time they have the engineers here, too. If we have any questions we always go straight to them and they can help us out,” said Nazareno.

SEMA’s measuring session program has seen significant growth over the last couple of years, and the Garage is on track to host more vehicles this year than ever before, serving a wide range of members, according to Senior Director of OEM Relations Jim Moore. Two more vehicles will be at the Garage next week: the ’17 Audi R8 V10, Tuesday, March 1, and the ’16 Ford Focus RS, Wednesday–Thursday, March 2–3. Measuring sessions are available to SEMA-member manufacturers at no charge. Learn more and register online.